1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to polymers for use with medical articles and, more specifically, polymers containing poly(hydroxyalkanoates) and agents.
2. Description of the State of the Art
A current paradigm in biomaterials research is the control of protein adsorption on an implant surface. Uncontrolled protein adsorption on an implant surface is a problem with current biomaterial implants and leads to a mixed layer of partially denatured proteins on the implant surface. This mixed layer of partially denatured proteins leads to disease, for example, by providing cell-binding sites from adsorbed plasma proteins such as fibrinogen and immunoglobulin G. Platelets and inflammatory cells such as, for example, monocytes, macrophages and neutrophils, adhere to the cell-binding sites. A wide variety of proinflammatory and proliferative factors may be secreted and result in a diseased state. Accordingly, a non-fouling surface, which is a surface that does not become fouled or becomes less fouled with this layer of partially denatured proteins, is desirable.
A stent is an example of an implant that can benefit from a non-fouling surface. Stents are a mechanical intervention that can be used as a vehicle for delivering pharmaceutically active agents. As a mechanical intervention, stents can physically hold open and, if desired, expand a passageway within a subject. Typically, a stent may be compressed, inserted into a small vessel through a catheter, and then expanded to a larger diameter once placed in a proper location. Examples of patents disclosing stents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,733,665, 4,800,882 and 4,886,062.
Stents play an important role in a variety of medical procedures such as, for example, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), which is a procedure used to treat heart disease. In PTCA, a balloon catheter is inserted through a brachial or femoral artery, positioned across a coronary artery occlusion, inflated to compress atherosclerotic plaque and open the lumen of the coronary artery, deflated and withdrawn. Problems with PTCA include formation of intimal flaps or torn arterial linings, both of which can create another occlusion in the lumen of the coronary artery. Moreover, thrombosis and restenosis may occur several months after the procedure and create a need for additional angioplasty or a surgical by-pass operation. Stents are generally implanted to reduce occlusions, inhibit thrombosis and restenosis, and maintain patency within vascular lumens such as, for example, the lumen of a coronary artery.
Local delivery of agents is often preferred over systemic delivery of agents, particularly where high systemic doses are necessary to achieve an effect at a particular site within a subject, because high systemic doses of agents can often create adverse effects within the subject. One proposed method of local delivery includes coating the surface of a medical article with a polymeric carrier and attaching an agent to, or blending it with, the polymeric carrier. Some of the currently desired polymeric materials such as, for example, the poly(hydroxyalkanoates) are biodegradable. Unfortunately, these polymers do not have sufficient mechanical properties for a number of medical applications. For example, the mechanical properties of currently available poly(hydroxyalkanoates) have been found to be insufficient for many stent applications. Accordingly, there is a need for poly(hydroxyalkanoates) with improved mechanical properties.
Another set of problems are associated with the release of agents from biodegradable coatings within a subject. One problem is that the release rate and absorption rate of biodegradable coatings should be controllable. The absorption rate of currently available poly(hydroxyalkanoates), for example, is too slow for most applications. Another problem involves regulatory concerns in that molecules from a polymeric carrier may remain attached to an agent upon breakdown of the coating. Since these additional molecules were not considered in the original regulatory approval of the agent, there may be regulatory concerns over possible changes in the agent's biological activity.
Accordingly, there is a need for poly(hydroxyalkanoate) coatings (i) that have sufficient mechanical properties for applications that can benefit from biodegradable polymers, (ii) that can release agents that are substantially free of additional molecules derived from a polymeric carrier, (iii) that can be designed to have a predetermined release rate and absorption rate; and (iv) that can be combined with agents that are not only bioactive and/or biobeneficial but also control a physical property and/or a mechanical property of a medical article formed from the polymer.